Pep Guardiola copycats have been ruining the EFL slams veteran boss Tony Mowbray

PEP GUARDIOLA copycats have been ruining EFL football. That is the damning verdict from veteran boss Tony Mowbray as Blackburn travel to Wolves tonight for the Championship curtain-raiser. Tony Mowbray pulled no punches when talking about Pep Guardiola’s legacy in the EFL Credit: Steve Flynn / Every Second Media Tony Mowbray is a huge fan of Pep Guardiola but not of his EFL copycats that he says have recklessly ruined games across the lower leagues Credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images And Mowbray, 62, insists a generation of bosses have been brainwashed into over-complicating the game with total-football tactics their players cannot pull off. The Rovers boss told SunSport: “Pep Guardiola changed the landscape of football. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! “People say it almost spoilt the game because everybody wants to play like Pep — but we can’t all play like him. “In 2012, he had a formidable team at Barcelona with Xavi and Iniesta, a generation full of talent playing a false nine. “A generation of coaches have come through inspired by him, inverting full-backs and playing overloads in different areas. “And yet every week in lower leagues we see teams giving pathetic goals away by the goalie trying to play a little triangle in his box. “At teams lower down, it’s much more difficult. It’s easier to press than to be the team with the ball. “We can’t all play like Pep — you need a fusion of football and pragmatism.” Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Mowbray believes the era of blind possession copycats is finally shifting into a far more practical, diverse age of football. Mowbray said: “I think it’s riveting. Guardiola’s left now, and I think the game will resort back — not back to the 80s where everybody just has a striker and a little guy fast over the top. “But I think it will become more diverse. More teams will be playing off the front and beating the press. “It will become more pragmatic as well. I think there’s going to be a really special, good era of football. “I love the game, all aspects of it. I can see the benefits of having a big centre-forward who can bring it in or flick it on, playing over the top of all these pressing teams who understand where the pressing lines are. “When teams commit so many men to a press to win the ball high up, if you play over it, you’re two passes away and you can score. I think that’s really thought-provoking. “That’s why I love the job of being a coach — analysing the teams we’re going to play and seeing whether we are going to kick every goal kick long today, or build from the back with four or five men and play through their lines. I like the idea of a team who can do both. A fusion of football.” That obsession with trendy coaching metrics and extra tactical staff almost made Mowbray fall out of love with the game. In early 2024, his world was turned upside down when forced to step down from Birmingham following a bowel cancer diagnosis. And after undergoing surgery and treatment, Mowbray admits modern football’s push toward technical directors interfering with squad selection made him question returning. He said: “I started thinking I wasn’t enjoying where football was going. “I remember once trying to sign a very young Gerard Pique for Hibs on loan from Manchester United. “I was at a petrol station, looked at my phone that was ringing and it said Alex Ferguson. I didn’t know whether to keep filling my car or take the call. “I stopped and answered. He couldn’t let me have Pique but told me, ‘I’d advise you to have total control. The only way to succeed is to have control so players know who the boss is.’ Sir Alex Ferguson gave Tony Mowbray the best managerial advice he had ever received Credit: AFP via Getty Images “When I was at West Brom against Sir Alex, he’d come in for a drink and talk about control. That’s gone now. “There are too many layers. Do I want to get told by a technical director who to pick or why players ran too hard? It’s about trust.” That search for respect drew Mowbray back to Ewood Park following his recovery. Following a short interim spell at West Brom last season, a homecoming at Blackburn gave him what Sir Alex insisted on… freedom to manage. Mowbray said: “The job has become harder for coaches. I’ve always felt the manager needs to manage and pick the team. “I found integrity and honesty in this ownership model. They look me in the eye and let me get on with it. The respect is there. Tony Mowbray is back at Blackburn for his second spell in charge at Ewood Park Credit: CameraSport via Getty Images Tony Mowbray takes on our man Justin Allen at a game of table football Credit: Steve Flynn / Every Second Media “There are different layers from when I was here before, but I don’t want total control. I want to do it together.” Mowbray points to Blackburn’s academy products as proof that passing quality and direct power must coexist. Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton came through the ranks during Mowbray’s last spell between 2017 and 2022. He said: “Adam was only 14 or 15 — but he’d train with the first team because he was so special with the ball. “Jon Dahl Tomasson, who followed me, gave him his debut and Adam allowed the team to play an amazing passing game. “I love seeing that, but I see the benefits of a big centre-forward who can bring it in or flick it on, playing over pressing teams. “It’s a fusion of football. You have to figure it out.” Despite his wariness of all the layers of analysts and technical staff in football, do not brand Mowbray a dinosaur. He said: “I like data pointing us to the right players. “There might be a winger in Belgium’s second division putting in the most crosses and I’d never know until data points at him. “Then your wisdom correlates whether he can step up to Championship level and if he has the right personality to fit your group. Ultimately, data cannot tell you that.” Mowbray admits his time off while fighting illness left him climbing the walls at home. And with his children flying the nest for university, the family hit a major turning point. Tony Mowbray’s wife Amber has been a rock during a traumatic time for the legendary boss Credit: Keith Campbell Tony Mowbray loves being in the dugout and the fire in his belly is still burning for the gae Credit: Getty Images Mowbray revealed: “I was driving everyone mad at home! Walking the dog was the highlight of my day. “My kids are older now. One is 19 and flying off to college in America. We’re at a crossroads as a family because everyone’s flying the nest. “How relieved is my wife Amber that I got back to work? She’s happy. She knows football is my driving force. “She’s made so many sacrifices and deserves a medal.” Back at Ewood Park, the thrill of managing still burns. Mowbray said: “Seven months at home with the health pressure, I had dark moods. “People asked if I looked at retirement — but my fire still burns. Why do I love it? Because you’re dealing with 30 individuals every day. “Some feel they’re the best player in town, asking, ‘Why am I not playing?’ Others are quiet and shy, yet they’re the best technicians, and you try to bring personality out of them. “It’s an amazing job. You need trust and empathy. Computers are great, but you need a human touch.” Comment now